04 March 2008

Your Child is NOT Your Own.

Some parents are really BAD and wouldn't take care of their children properly. We need a law because of that, or some children would be educated poorly or even abused! The solution is to make all parents send their children to public schools! California is taking a giant step in that direction:

Hm. Well... Along those lines, let's think about why public school should be the only option for all families, because children belong to the state: *coughHeilHitlercough*

Money.

I'm sure some people won't manage their money properly, and their kids will suffer. Do we need government oversight on where we spend our money or what we invest in? Should Uncle Sam tell Mr. Smith that he's taken too many risks with his stock portfolio this year and it's time for US Bonds instead? What would the effect on the US economy be if we did that?

Ohhhh.... Now we come down to it!

Public education is a BIG employer. What if you saw that homeschooling were really taking off, and public jobs were in peril? What to do?

I don't think people involved in public education are part of some vast anti-child conspiracy for the most part, but wouldn't you imagine that there's a bit of a conflict of interest sometimes? What if what's "best for the children" means there is no job for you?

What if it means that you look bad on paper when your district grows in population but loses students? What if there is a mass exodus from public education and the children you have left are difficult to manage, poor and/or requiring inordinate resources from the district?

No wonder the unions are fighting, and the NEA badmouths homeschooling any chance it can get. They lobby for their political friends to be elected and appointed to the courts. God help us, because they're using the money teachers give them, that WE pay for with our taxes, against us as parents to make our own decisions about where our children are educated.

Silly Rumours

Do you know where the vast scientific research came from for Nebraska's latest anti-homeschooling law proposal? Some meter-reader lady told some other lady that she saw lots of kids hanging out one day when school was in session, and she thinks they're homeschooled! Eeek! So I guess there oughtta be a law based on this.

You know, I also heard about some guy that got drunk and then he woke up in a bathtub full of ice. There was a note nearby telling him that both of his kidneys were missing and he had the HIV virus now. I know that some people think organ donation is a good thing, but we need to stop that whole business RIGHT NOW because of this one incident that I heard about on the internet a long time ago. (Ball pits in McDonald's also need to be banned because of the 45-foot long snake and the drug syringes I heard about being hidden in there that one time... you just didn't hear about it in the media because those corporate lawyers have ways of not letting the truth get out!)

Religious beliefs of wackos

I'd heard that the Islamics home-educate their kids, along with people who are involved in cults. We don't really care about those, though, because they're pretty well crazy no matter where they send their kids to school. Let's just admit we don't like conservative Christians teaching their children any sort of doctrine at home and be done with it. Why even pretend?

The courts of California tell us now that the schooling of a child cannot be based on the individual conscience of the parents. They must be based on the opinions of... the majority of voters, who have decided that we must have "gay-friendly" curriculum in every grade level in public schools there. Parents shouldn't be able to teach their children anything intolerant or - Darwin forbid - contrary to the beliefs of most voters.

It must sound wonderful to some people. Those stupid Christians have to send their kids to school and then we get to teach them whatever we want! I'm grateful it hasn't happened here yet, but I'd like to be able to pull my child from public school at any time and I'd support your right to do the same. Truth be told, a LOT of public school teachers in my district at least profess to be Christians. Maybe your child would be uncomfortable there... the teachers here just might be praying for him before classes begin and spreading their Christian cooties all over him.

Crazy Parents

No discussion of why children should required to be sent to state-funded schools would be complete without the Benita Jacks tie-in. Yep. Crazy lady who *says* she's homeschooling murders four children. It must be homeschooling that's to blame!

It doesn't matter that this lady was allegedly a drug user with previous well-documented problems including homelessness, or that she lived in inner-city Washington DC, where public-school children are murdering one another by the scores. That fact doesn't deserve a public outcry because

Well...

I couldn't think of a reason and I don't think you could, either. Gangs, drugs and the problems of the inner-city and the mentally ill probably don't have too much to do with homeschooling in most cases, wouldn't you think? In the week after the Jacks story broke, I counted no fewer than three "crazy parent murders kids"- type stories in the news and oddly, none mentioned where the children went to school. Hm.

Abusive Parents

There are many abusive parents out there, and sending their children to public school would give authorities one more chance to help that child. We don't want that kid trapped in an awful situation with nowhere to turn for help.

Wait a minute... she went to public school! My bad. Guess sometimes bad or even sadistic parents are going to get away with things no matter where their children go to school. This kid died a HORRIBLE death. Severely malnourished, but the school didn't follow up enough to save her.

Not that I blame the school entirely for her death. Obviously the school is not her murderer. I'm just saying that the school isn't some great panacea that is going to solve every case of abuse, or help every child in trouble. It won't provide every meal to every kid. It was NEVER SUPPOSED TO. It's supposed to be a place parents can OPT to send their child so that their child can be educated. What "educated" means, I suppose, is a very loaded word that we'll have to discuss some other time. In conclusion,

Bias against homeschooling

I fear, increases as the number of families who practice it does. When you think about the numbers, the more homeschooling families there are out there, the more people you could point to and say, "See? Wow, that family is wacky! They're crazy! See what homeschooling does?"

My thoughts

If you want to send your child to public school, I don't think you're going to hell. I think you ought to seriously consider homeschooling, but there are so many situations in families that I'm not going to go play God on you. Generally speaking, I think homeschooling is a better choice. I have two older children in the public schools and the staff members I've interacted with are wonderful. If I were beginning their education over again, however, I would start with homeschooling if at all possible.

I think you ought to have a choice in where you send your child, or to keep him home if you prefer. But then again, I think you ought to be able to spend your own money as you wish, attend the church of your choice, and pick your own house and car without my input as well. I'm strange that way.

Welcome!

I'm Christine! I live near Kansas City, Missouri, and I like Polish pottery a little bit. This blog is mostly about our homeschooling adventures, family life and my assorted oddball opinions. I'd love it if you left a comment and said hello!